A view of a pilot test platform for exploiting shale gas operated by PetroChina in Northwest China's Qinghai Province on March 28, 2022. It is the first time that a scaled shale gas production project is being launched in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Photo: cnsphotos.

China's first high-power, ultra-high pressure fracturing pump test platform has been constructed in Baoji, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and it is expected to improve the efficiency of shale gas exploration, the Shaanxi Daily reported on Wednesday.

The facility combines test verification, data analysis and performance evaluation in one with independent intellectual property rights. 

The technology breakthrough is expected to facilitate the research of new technologies and processes to improve the efficiency of shale gas development, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The project was approved and passed a feasibility test by the science and technology management department of China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) in June 2019. The goal of the project is to build a comprehensive high-power ultra-high pressure fracturing pump test platform that reaches world-class levels and forms a set of fracturing pump test and performance evaluation methods with independent intellectual property rights.

The project has completed all the research and construction tasks and is ready for use.

China's shale gas development technology has been advancing. Recently, a shale gas field in Southwest China's Chongqing completed drilling at a depth of 7,000 meters for the first time, marking a step forward of shale gas development technology in China, national broadcaster CCTV reported. It is expected to provide rich technical experience for fast drilling in complex blocks.

In September, CNPC issued a bidding plan for leasing fracturing equipment. The move is expected to accelerate the development of domestic shale oil and gas, according to a research report issued by Orient Securities.

Orient Securities said in the report that China's demand for shale oil and gas development will remain robust during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period. Given the complex and volatile external environment, China has been attaching great importance to energy security, and oil and gas exploration are the driving forces to ensure energy security, according to the report.

Global Times